Discovery GT - The Making Of - and some food for thought.

[JP]

Well after watching the programme on DVD I have to say the programme was extremely biased towards Ford and the USA.

No mention of the fact that the original GT was designed and built in England, not that it really matters. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

No mention of in the imput from Ricardo for the gearbox etc. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

No mention of the 1969 Le Mans win. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I do like the new GT, seems to have grown on me a little.

However the way that the Ford engineers gloat about beating a bog standard Ferrari 360 around the various tracks!? They have grossly underestimated Ferrari. By the time the Ford GT is available in Europe we will be seeing the first of the new Ferrari 450. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] This, the new 360 replacement, will quite proably be an enourmously capable car - one which could possibly out handle a Ford GT.

We all know that Ford claim the GT will be made in limited numberrs, but why the big deal about beating a standard 360. Why not take on an F40?F50? or Enzo?

Perplexed,

J.P

[Mark Worthington]

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We all know that Ford claim the GT will be made in limited numberrs, but why the big deal about beating a standard 360. Why not take on an F40?F50? or Enzo?


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Because when you're designing a car and you want to set your sights on another vehicle it's impossible to target a car that doesn't exist.

[Doody]

the F40 and F50 certainly exist....

doody.

[Mark Worthington]

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the F40 and F50 certainly exist....

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True. When I first read that I thought it said 450, which I assumed was some sort of new Ferrari model designation.

I guess, then, that Ford set its sights on an exotic that was somewhat obtainable(the F40s and F50s are admittedly rare beasts), with performance technology that was attainable. If Ford had set its sights on an F50 the GT moght cost $400,000 instead of $140,000.

[killroy]

They chose the Modena because the price is similar. An F40 or F50 will cost a lot more than a GT, but if you look at the numbers, the GT has a higher top speed and quicker acceleration than the F40 and it is probably pretty close to the F50.

Around a track might be another story, but it would be pretty close, well within a $200,000+ usd difference.

I doubt that Ford will take the GT racing, it probably can't compete with cars that would be in it's race class because those cars were built with a clean sheet of paper approach, instead of fitting a modern car inside a 38 year old wraper.